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In Brief | Nation and World

PHOENIX — Former LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu has signed a four-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals.

The team’s third-round draft pick, Mathieu did not play last season after repeated off-field issues.

The deal could be worth up to just over $3 million. According to a person familiar with the contract, Mathieu does not get his entire slotted salary bonus of $662,500 at first. Initially, he gets $265,000 with the remainder spread out over the next three seasons, as long as he does not get suspended for substance abuse.

If he’s cut from the team for any other reason, he gets the entire signing bonus, said the person, who did not want to be identified because the details of contracts are not made public.

The deal includes a $170,000 workout bonus. The other figures are those normally given to someone drafted where Mathieu was.

M’s send slumping Montero to minors

SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners sent slumping catcher Jesus Montero to the minor leagues Thursday, a year after acquiring him in trade full of potential that hasn’t panned out for either side.

The Mariners optioned Montero to Triple-A Tacoma. He has 72 hours to join the club.

The 23-year-old Montero is hitting .208 with three home runs and nine RBIs. He’s also been a designated hitter, and there are concerns about his impatience at the plate.

Seattle got Montero from the New York Yankees after the 2011 season. Montero made a nice impression in a brief call-up that year, hitting .328 with four homers and 12 RBIs, and the Yankees traded him and pitcher Hector Noesi to the Mariners for pitcher Michael Pineda and a minor leaguer.

Montero hit .260 with 15 homers and 62 RBIs last year in his first full season in the majors.

Zendejas accused of damage and theft

TUCSON, Ariz. — Former NFL and University of Arizona kicker Max Zendejas has been indicted on damage and theft charges in connection with his recently closed Tucson restaurant.

Pima County authorities say the indictment claims Zendejas “recklessly defaced or damaged property” belonging to the university causing more than $10,000 in damages at the restaurant.

Zendejas opened the Mexican restaurant and bar across the street from Arizona Stadium in 2010.

The Zendejas 13 restaurant closed April 12.

The 49-year-old Zendejas set several scoring records with the Wildcats from 1982-85.

He was a fourth-round pick in the 1986 NFL draft and played one season with Washington and two with Green Bay before getting involved in family businesses.

Rangers release Derek Lowe

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers have placed right-hander Derek Lowe on unconditional release waivers and signed utility man Mark Teahen to a minor league contract.

The moves Thursday came three days after the Rangers designated Lowe for assignment after the 39-year-old allowed 13 runs in 13 innings over nine relief appearances. Lowe made the team in spring training, and signed a minor league deal.

The 31-year-old Teahen will join Triple-A Round Rock in Memphis on Friday. He’s a career .264 hitter in 831 games with Kansas City, the Chicago White Sox and Toronto.

Teahen was released by Arizona on Monday. A trade with Cincinnati on May 1 was rescinded because of a right shoulder strain that put Teahen on the disabled list at Triple-A Reno from May 4-11.

Canseco spoke to reporters Thursday before playing in an independent league game in Fort Worth. He said he was prepared to take a polygraph test and that “the truth will always come out.”

Word of a police investigation became public when the 48-year-old Canseco had several Twitter posts Wednesday.

The tweets included the name and workplace of a woman and another said Las Vegas police had just left Canseco’s house.

Police didn’t immediately return a message Thursday, a day after saying no arrests were made and no charges were immediately filed.

Canseco hit 462 home runs and was a six-time All-Star. He played for seven major league teams.

Panel to study UCI-Armstrong ‘collusion’

GENEVA — Cycling federation president Pat McQuaid says an independent panel will examine the allegations that the UCI was complicit in Lance Armstrong’s doping.

McQuaid tells The Associated Press that senior UCI and World Anti-Doping Agency officials will meet in Russia next week to discuss potential appointments to a three-member expert panel.

He says longstanding claims about the UCI and Armstrong’s relationship “absolutely will be addressed,” including alleged collusion over suspicious test results and cash donations.

McQuaid says he’s “very sure that the audit will show that there’s nothing untoward ever been done with Armstrong.”

McQuaid says the UCI will “in the coming weeks” send the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency laboratory results it requested of samples given by Armstrong during his career.

Querrey loses to Roger-Vasselin at Nice Open

NICE, France — American Sam Querrey was eliminated from the quarterfinals of the Open de Nice clay-court event Thursday, losing to French wild-card entry Edouard Roger-Vasselin 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1.

Roger-Vasselin broke the third-seeded Querrey twice in the final set to lead 5-1 before converting his first match point with a forehand winner. Roger-Vasselin will play Spain’s Albert Montanes, a 6-4, 6-1 winner over France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu.

The tournament is a warm-up event for the French Open, which starts Sunday.

Cornet, Bouchard reach Strasbourg semis

STRASBOURG, France — Third-seeded Alize Cornet and Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard won in straight sets Thursday to reach the semifinals of the Strasbourg International.

A runner-up last year, Cornet beat Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 6-3, 6-1. Bouchard move into the semifinals of a tournament for the first time by defeating Anna Tatishvili of Georgia 6-3, 6-2.

Rain interrupted play at 5-1 in the second set of Cornet’s match. But the Frenchwoman picked up where she left off, firing a backhand pass to clinch the victory. She’ll face Bouchard in the next round.

Bouchard, who entered the top 100 last month, broke Tatishvili twice in each set.

The Strasbourg International is a warm-up tournament for the French Open, which starts Sunday.